New here, new to Omega watches

[gbesq]

dsio

As the owner of a large range of Omega boxes from 50s models to current, I can tell you the boxes are pretty uniformly cheap rubbish. The walnut one I think you’re talking about was briefly used as a stopgap due to the red pleather ones peeling and staining too much until they developed the new push button wooden box.

They’re not worth much and just gather dust in your closet, which is a good thing as if you handle them too much they fall apart.

The watches themselves are excellent though.

I generally agree about the poor quality of Omega boxes with the exception of the current generation blonde wood (faux wood, who knows?) boxes. In my experience, these are not only quite attractive but they actually hold up pretty well (they do take up closet space though!). By way of comparison, the current version of Omega's box is sure a lot nicer than the cheap plastic box that came with my 10k JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon.

 

[ArchAngel]

Stopped in (for the 3rd time) to view the Omega Seamaster.
After much research, several ebay reviews, and the good advice here...this is where the status is currently.
Certification - Jeweler says "he" certified it. No paperwork.
Service - Jeweler says "he" serviced it. No paperwork.
No red cards.
Blondish wooden (faux?) box looks pristine. Push button front.
Original manual included.
This watch looks "better" than the close up details I've seen on line (nicks/scratches) of current watches for sale.
His counter offer to $3500 was $4500.
No purchase at this time.
There are 2 bracelet links in the box.

Of all the Seamaster series, I do like this one "professional 2500D" the best. Black.
Still looking at present.
Truly appreciate the help here.

Several very good prices out of japan - however after reading articles on the custom fees, hesitant of that option.

Grateful for this resource.

 

[gbesq]

Find another jeweler. He is asking $100 more than the watch sold for when it was NEW with the box, paperwork and all accessories. MSRP was $4,400 for this model and THAT price was normally discounted. Don’t pay more than $3,500 as an absolute maximum and it should be closer to $3k.

 

[dsio]

ArchAngel

Stopped in (for the 3rd time) to view the Omega Seamaster.
After much research, several ebay reviews, and the good advice here...this is where the status is currently.
Certification - Jeweler says "he" certified it. No paperwork.
Service - Jeweler says "he" serviced it. No paperwork.
No red cards.
Blondish wooden (faux?) box looks pristine. Push button front.
Original manual included.
This watch looks "better" than the close up details I've seen on line (nicks/scratches) of current watches for sale.
His counter offer to $3500 was $4500.
No purchase at this time.
There are 2 bracelet links in the box.

Of all the Seamaster series, I do like this one "professional 2500D" the best. Black.
Still looking at present.
Truly appreciate the help here.

Several very good prices out of japan - however after reading articles on the custom fees, hesitant of that option.

Grateful for this resource.

$4500 is still a rip off, if you’re patient you’ll find one in the US at a decent price, they’re not super popular. The push button box is very common and cheap, it’s been around for ages. Even with customs fees the Japanese ones are massively cheaper to the extent that you could fit the cost of an entire factory service on top and still be cheaper than that one at $4,500.

Incidentally I think one of our dealers @SohAIS actually had a Ref 212.30.41.20.01.003 For sale recently for $3300 or so in the US so might be worth PMing him.

 

[ArchAngel]

gbesq

Find another jeweler. He is asking $100 more than the watch sold for when it was NEW with the box, paperwork and all accessories. MSRP was $4,400 for this model and THAT price was normally discounted. Don’t pay more than $3,500 as an absolute maximum and it should be closer to $3k.

Assuming I find one, at the price point/condition I am seeking, how relevant are the "red cards" for re-sale?
Not that I would want to sell it, however at my age, it will certainly get "sold" within a decade or two.

 

[gbesq]

ArchAngel

Assuming I find one, at the price point/condition I am seeking, how relevant are the "red cards" for re-sale?
Not that I would want to sell it, however at my age, it will certainly get "sold" within a decade or two.

They're worth nothing at this point. Don't focus on the box or accessories. The only thing of value other than the watch that's important is whether it has been recently serviced. If it has been recently serviced, you want the paperwork from the servicer showing what was done and how much it cost. Cleaning and oiling is not a full service. Look at Omega's website to get an idea of what a full service includes and what it costs.

 

[dsio]

ArchAngel

Assuming I find one, at the price point/condition I am seeking, how relevant are the "red cards" for re-sale?
Not that I would want to sell it, however at my age, it will certainly get "sold" within a decade or two.

Honestly the red cards don’t mean all that much, for a non limited edition watch the most important part is the watch itself as the rest will just take up closet space and some of us have whole closets full of the damned things.

Regarding condition, most of these are due for service and on that basis I would personally go for a nice condition but cheap example even if there are some swirls and scratches, and use the money you save to send it for a full service. Then you’ve got a watch under warranty again from the service, in perfect condition, and ready to go for years.

Note that a real service comes from an Omega certified independent watchmaker or Omega, not some in-house guy at the local jeweller.

 

[ArchAngel]

dsio

$4500 is still a rip off, if you’re patient you’ll find one in the US at a decent price, they’re not super popular. The push button box is very common and cheap, it’s been around for ages. Even with customs fees the Japanese ones are massively cheaper to the extent that you could fit the cost of an entire factory service on top and still be cheaper than that one at $4,500.

Incidentally I think one of our dealers @SohAIS actually had a Ref 212.30.41.20.01.003 For sale recently for $3300 or so in the US so might be worth PMing him.

Pm sent. Thank you.

 

[Dan S]

Not sure what you are reading, but if you are in the US, and handle the import paperwork properly, customs duties from Japan will be only a few percent of total value.

 

[ArchAngel]

Dan S

Not sure what you are reading, but if you are in the US, and handle the import paperwork properly, customs duties from Japan will be only a few percent of total value.

Thank you. My reading consisted of a "Google search" and various related articles.

 

[ErichPryde]

ArchAngel

Thank you. My reading consisted of a "Google search" and various related articles.

Duties aren't on the whole "watch," but on the case, bracelet, and movement. They also are not evenly divided. The biggest hit you're going to see is probably when you have a large amount of precious metal in either the case of bracelet; an all steel watch isn't going to be the pricey on duties.

Regarding the red cards, at this point if you ever decide to sell the watch again it's possible that having a box in the original cards might increase the speed at which you may be able to resell. Maybe. But they don't really add value.

Good luck- I definitely would not be dealing with this Jeweler!

 

[Dan S]

ErichPryde

Duties aren't on the whole "watch," but on the case, bracelet, and movement. They also are not evenly divided. The biggest hit you're going to see is probably when you have a large amount of precious metal in either the case of bracelet; an all steel watch isn't going to be the pricey on duties.

This is correct, but to be more specific, the duties are calculated on the case and bracelet, and the percentages used for the calculation depend on the details of the watch, including the movement. Generally it's appropriate to put the vast majority of the value on the movement, with only 10-20% total divided between case and bracelet. For SS case/bracelet and a high value watch, this is totally reasonable IMO.

While the details vary slightly depending on the watch (e.g. the number of jewels in the movement, auto- or hand-winding, etc.), when done this way, the duties will come to only a few percent of total value as I mentioned. There is also the shipping cost, and roughly an additional $50 of fees charged by the courier for handling the paperwork. Still, if you are getting a very good deal in Japan, and you trust the seller, there's no reason to rule out a purchase because of US customs. It can be a bit of a pain to deal with paperwork, but the price is not nearly as onerous as in the UK, for example.

 

[ErichPryde]

Dan S

This is correct, but to be more specific, the duties are calculated on the case and bracelet, and the percentages used for the calculation depend on the details of the watch, including the movement. Generally it's appropriate to put the vast majority of the value on the movement, with only 10-20% total divided between case and bracelet. For SS case/bracelet and a high value watch, this is totally reasonable IMO.

While the details vary slightly depending on the watch (e.g. the number of jewels in the movement, auto- or hand-winding, etc.), when done this way, the duties will come to only a few percent of total value as I mentioned. There is also the shipping cost, and roughly an additional $50 of fees charged by the courier for handling the paperwork. Still, if you are getting a very good deal in Japan, and you trust the seller, there's no reason to rule out a purchase because of US customs. It can be a bit of a pain to deal with paperwork, but the price is not nearly as onerous as in the UK, for example.

Thanks for the added detail, I knew it was broken down somehow but wasn't sure of the percentages.